Month: November 2007 (Page 5 of 12)

Doc of the Day: “911 Mysteries – Part 1: Demolitions”

November 17, 2007 /

Given that Oliver Stone’s “JFK” is one of my all-time favorite movies, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I’d enjoy a good conspiracy-theory documentary, but “911 Mysteries – Part 1: Demolitions” is more intriguing than the average…possibly because its subject is one that affected just about everyone who lived through it. I’m not trying to pretend that li’l ol’ me, sitting in Norfolk, VA, was in any way as traumatized by the experiences on September 11, 2001, as the people in New York City – that’d be ludicrous – but, man, I’ll never forget how I felt as I stood in the break room at Harris Publishing and watched the towers fall live on television. I’m not even going to begin to try to put into the words the sensation that went through me as I witnessed something so unexpected and of such tremendous magnitude unfolding before my eyes, but it was something I hope never to experience again. As it is, I’m already dreaded the day when my daughter, who’s 2 years old as of this writing, asks me about that day, because I have absolutely no fucking idea what I’m going to say.

With the first part of the “911 Mysteries” series (the additional two parts remain unproduced at present, as the filmmakers await the necessary funding to move forward), we’re presented with some very interesting premises; they may or may not be true, but for the open-minded viewer, they result in enough eyebrow raising to make you consider the possibility of their accuracy.

The main question posited during the film’s 90 minutes is this: how do you get a 10-second, 110-story pancake collapse of a major structure? The answer is…no-one has an answer. Or if they do, they’re not talking. But plenty of civilian construction folk have had the question posed to them, and most seem to mystified as to how it happened.

The film features footage of a gentleman who lost his life in the collapse of the Towers, filmed several months prior to 9/11, indicating that the buildings were structurally designed to withstand a hit from a 747 – the largest aircraft at the time the building were erected – without incident. So why did they collapse so rapidly after such a strike? And why weren’t the core structures of the buildings still intact even as the floors fell around them? Is it possible that there were additional goings-on within the Towers which resulted in their destruction…?

The best I’m going to say is “maybe,” but, like I said, this movie will definitely get you thinking. There are interviews with plenty of construction professionals who find the building’s state of collapse to be inexplicable based on the facts as presented by the mainstream media; the discussions about who stood to gain from the loss of files, facts, and figures which were housed within the Towers might feel a bit too paranoid, but when you hear witnesses describing the mysterious construction on the 34th floor a month or two before the attacks, which was significant enough that the below floors could feel the shaking from the work being done (yet when one guy sneaked up to see what they were working on, he found the floor to be completely empty), you do start wondering, “What was going on up there?” Is it possible that terrorists planned far enough in advance to weaken the structure of the building by way of a bomb within the heart of the building itself?

It’s thought-provoking stuff. If you’re a steadfast conservative Republican, you’re probably already wagging your finger and declaring it to be anti-American and unpatriotic, but if you’re like me and always wonder if the news you’re getting is really the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, you owe it to yourself to at least give “911 Mysteries – Part 1: Demolitions” a look…whether you believe it or not.

Oh, and in closing, I really just have to ask this aloud: whose idea was it to use a blurb from Rosie O’Donnell as the front-cover quote? “Watch and decide for yourself,” she says. For one, it’s not a very good quote, and for another, what, is she really the best spokesperson they could get? I mean, I’m not familiar with David Ray Griffin, the author quoted on the back cover, but at least his statement – “Excellent. The best of the 9/11 movies.” – is an actual compliment. Rosie’s comment is just…nothing.

Doc of the Day, Documentaries, External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, Movie DVDs, Movies, Reviews

Friday Night Lights: “Pantherama!”

November 17, 2007 /

Much of this week’s episode revolved around Smash’s foray into the world of recruiting. He and his mom differ on what college is supposed to mean to him, but someone should tell him that you can go to a good football school and get a degree. In fact, if Smash were to go to any school in the Pac-10 or Big 10, he’s pretty much guaranteed exposure to NFL scouts and a good education, if he wants one. I don’t blame his mom for riding his butt, especially with the way that his face lit up when that “white girl” he brought over told the story about her brother getting a free Porsche. There’s a middle ground between Miami Southern and Whitmore, and Smash needs to find it.

Last week, I commented on the lack of progression in the Matt/Carlota relationship, but this week’s episode made up for it. Her reaction to the kiss probably gave Matt the impression that she wasn’t at all into him, but the next morning it was obvious that she is. It’s funny how much of an impact a plate of warm food and hand on the shoulder can have on a person (and the flirtatious glances didn’t hurt, either). Matt now finds himself in a romantic square, with Lauren, Carlota and Julie all in the picture to different extents. Ah, the life of a Panther QB1.

Speaking of Julie, she is obviously headed for trouble (or embarrassment) with her rapidly growing relationship with Mr. Noah Bennett (played by Austin Nichols, who also plays the title character on HBO’s great drama, “John from Cincinnati”). Whether it’s trouble or embarrassment depend almost entirely on how Noah reacts to her advances (or if he makes a move on her). It’s obvious that Tami has the same thought, so it would be quite ballsy for him to try to take advantage with her mom as one of his co-workers. For his part, he hasn’t done anything wrong…yet.

Santiago continues to play a major role in the show, and now he’s moving in with Buddy Garrity, and the duo make quite the odd couple. I loved Buddy’s line in Tami’s office: “I came up with a moment of scintillating clarity. He should move in with me.”

Scintillating clarity?

Who knows, maybe Riggins will end up with the top bunk. He has moved out of his house because he can’t deal with his brother’s relationship with the neighbor. (Of course, it doesn’t help that she’s walking around the place with wet hair and giant cleavage.) Now he’s moving in with a guy who wants him to help take care of his parrots. I have no idea where this storyline is going, but one thing’s for sure – Riggins needs to get back on the team. There was no talk of that this week.

Eric had a couple of great lines when he asked Tami not to “whisper yell” at him and when Julie asked him for a comment “through the bathroom door.” The look he gave Tami at Pantherama was priceless.

Nothing major happened in the Landry/Tyra storyline, though he did tell her about his dad’s decision to torch the wagon. But the scenes for the next episode showed that things are definitely about to change.

External Entertainment, External TV, Friday Night Lights, TV

Doc of the Day: “Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later”

November 16, 2007 /

It might’ve been fifty years since nine African-American teenagers broke the color barrier and, with the assistance of the National Guard, integrated the public schools in Little Rock, Arkansas, but racism still runs rampant in these United States…and I’m just as guilty as anyone. I’d like to tell you I’m not – in fact, I’d prefer to tell you I’m not – but here’s why I’d be lying if I claimed otherwise: while watching “Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later,” the HBO special which revisits Little Rock Central High School to see how much has changed (and how much has stayed the same) since 1957, there was a moment when several teenage African-American girls are dancing around the room to a song on the radio…and when I realized that the song was “Stacy’s Mom,” by Fountains of Wayne, my first thought was, “Wow, really?”

I’d love to tell you it was simply the exclamation of a power-pop fan being pleased to hear a song by one of his favorite artists in such context, but, no, that was secondary at best. The harsh truth of the matter is that I reacted that way because it just seemed incongruous to see African-American teenagers dancing to Fountains of Wayne…and, really, it shouldn’t be that way.

But it is. And while watching “Little Rock Central: 50 Years Later,” you’re constantly reminded how little has changed in the half-century since the groundbreaking occurrence at that high school.

You see how the whites and the black have, in all this time, done almost no integrating; sure, they’re sharing the same classrooms, but there’s still a major disconnect between the them. A picture is painted of how there are almost no African-Americans in the accelerated classes, and how the socio-economic climate in Little Rock is such that the two races tend rarely to interact outside of the schools, which leads to a lack of interaction within the schools as well. And the teachers, for all their attempts to get the students to do their best, are finding that quite a few of them simply don’t care, don’t want to listen, and don’t have much in the way of a positive parental influence to inspire them at home. One of the African-American students suggests that the education level for blacks was higher before desegregation because, back then, they had something to prove; now, they don’t, and as a result, they’re not trying as hard. You want to argue with him, but, frighteningly, you can see what he’s talking about, especially when you hear one of the seniors admit that his father hasn’t looked at his report card since 9th grade.

Filmmakers Brent and Craig Renaud, themselves Little Rock natives, do an admirable job at showing as many different sides of the situation as possible. We see the teachers trying their best to teach these students, and we do see them succeeding; we also see that, although they’re in the minority, there are indeed African-American students at Little Rock Central who are intellectual and thriving. But in the end, when we see Minnijean Brown, one of the original “Little Rock 9,” speaking before one of the classes at the school and pointing out that, 50 years later, the whites are still on one side of the class and the blacks are on the other, we realize how far we’ve yet to go.

Alas, there’s no trailer for this doc, so I instead present you with a segment from the documentary, “Eyes on the Prize,” which provides you with an idea as to what happened 50 years ago…and will remind you – as it reminded me – that 50 years seems like a lifetime ago.

Doc of the Day, Documentaries, External Entertainment, External Movie DVDs, External Movies, External TV, Movie DVDs, Movies, Reviews, TV

The Office: “The Deposition”

November 16, 2007 /

Michael Scott is great under oath. Not great in the way that he answers questions correctly, but great as in hilarious. I loved all the little interjections he had:

“That’s what she said.”
“They hang off m’lady’s chest.”
“I will allow it.”
“I throw myself at the mercy of the deposition.”

I feel bad for Toby. He tried to open up at lunch but Michael responded by pushing his tray off the table. I still don’t know why Michael hates him so much, though it probably didn’t help that Toby asked for a copy of Michael’s journal. I hope that they do a flashback episode someday that explains the vast chasm between them. There is some good comic potential there.

Back at the office it was all about ping-pong. Kelly was this episode’s Most Valuable Character with all of her smack (not trash) talk and her version that Avril Lavigne song:

“Hey Hey I I don’t like your boyfriend / be-cause he he can’t play any ping-pong”

Of course, when she and Pam took over the table, they couldn’t even rally for serve.

All in all, it was a pretty good episode. The thought of Michael under oath still makes me laugh.

Was that Dwight and Moes playing table tennis at the end?

“All of my heroes are table tennis players.”

External Entertainment, External TV, The Office, TV, TV Comedies

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